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Full-time employee pay

UK salary percentiles by age

A £40,000 salary means something different at 24 and 54. These tables compare annual gross pay for full-time employee jobs within broad age bands.

£31,200Median full-time pay, age 22–29
£38,961Median full-time pay, age 30–39
£42,154Median full-time pay, age 40–49
£39,699Median full-time pay, age 50–59
Age band 10th 20th 25th 30th 40th 50th 60th 70th 75th 80th 90th
18–21 £13,790 £16,522 £17,596 £18,732 £20,434 £22,001 £23,334 £24,904 £25,904 £27,186 £31,195
22–29 £21,417 £24,144 £25,239 £26,430 £28,753 £31,200 £33,990 £37,425 £39,483 £42,031 £50,000
30–39 £23,784 £27,634 £29,500 £31,215 £35,000 £38,961 £43,266 £48,500 £51,984 £56,031 £70,383
40–49 £24,343 £28,552 £30,585 £32,737 £37,287 £42,154 £47,408 £53,375 £57,409 £62,633 £81,790
50–59 £23,360 £27,108 £28,908 £30,719 £35,028 £39,699 £44,994 £51,192 £55,323 £60,682 £79,795
60+ £22,162 £25,008 £26,308 £27,906 £31,189 £35,000 £39,322 £45,174 £48,595 £53,142 £70,087
All full-time employees £22,763 £26,250 £27,986 £29,731 £33,276 £37,430 £42,148 £47,898 £51,391 £55,912 £72,150

Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 6.7a, 2024 provisional. Annual pay covers full-time employee jobs where the employee had been in the same job for more than one year.

How to read the table

The 50th percentile is the median: half of the relevant full-time employee jobs paid less and half paid more. At the 90th percentile, only one in ten paid more.

For example, annual pay of about £50,000 sits around the 90th percentile for employees aged 22–29, but between the 60th and 70th percentiles for employees aged 40–49.

Why pay tends to peak in middle age

Experience, seniority and occupational progression raise earnings through the twenties, thirties and forties. The later fall in the median reflects a mixture of occupational choices, reduced hours, cohort effects and people leaving higher-paid employment. It does not describe an automatic pay trajectory for each individual.

Important limits

The table covers employee jobs, not self-employed profits, business ownership, investment income or household income. It also says nothing about accumulated wealth. Someone can have a modest current salary and substantial pension or property wealth, particularly at older ages.

Use the right comparison

Use the age table for a labour-market comparison. Use the main calculator for total taxpayer income, then open detailed mode for household and wealth context.